Giraffes are one of the most loved animals in the world. These long-necked, black-tongued animals commonly feature in children’s books, and people flock to Africa to see them in the wild. But these iconic animals are being pushed toward extinction, thanks to a thriving market for giraffe body parts in the U.S. and other parts of the world. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Humane Society International (HSI) recently investigated 21 stores in California, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, as well as the Dallas Safari Club expo, where giraffe skins, rugs and other trinkets are being sold to consumers. Unfortunately, giraffes aren’t protected under the Convention on International Trade…

The raven had gotten himself into a very uncomfortable — and dangerous — situation. A plastic lid from a frozen drink had become lodged around his neck and mouth, and he couldn’t seem to get it off himself. “Ravens are scavengers, so I imagine he was rummaging for a bite to eat, and whatever it was was near the hole of the lid,” Gemma Hickey, an environmentalist based in Western Australia, told The Dodo. “It trapped his tongue and lower beak. He tried to eat by flicking food into his mouth but couldn’t get it to stay there long enough to get it down. The same with water.” Luckily for the…

One moment, the mother turtle was swimming around in her ocean home. The next, she was being stolen. She was nearly ready to lay her nest on the beach, but then a poacher plucked her straight from the water, carrying her across the beach over his shoulder. She squirmed and flapped her flippers in distress as onlookers videotaped the scene — but they did nothing to help her. This was the last time anyone saw this olive ridley sea turtle, a protected species often poached from the wild for their eggs. La Flor Beach Natural Reserve in Nicaragua is a hotspot for nesting females like this one — and despite it…

“The truth of what lay beyond that living room door was far from the image [she] painted to the public.” Every time visitors came into the home of Janet Oxlade, they were never allowed to go past the living room. Whether people were there just for a visit or to purchase a puppy from Oxlade, who was a breeder, they were confined to the living room and never invited to see the rest of the home. The living room was kept in fantastic condition, but people started to wonder why Oxlade seemed so afraid to let anyone see the rest of her house. “We’d had a number of complaints over recent…

South Africa is one the world’s biggest exporters of endangered tigers, almost all of which end up as floor mats, wall hangings or skeletons submerged in vats of Asian tiger-bone wine. The trade is so lucrative that city householders in Gauteng are breeding them in their backyards. Words by Don Pinnock Because they’re not an indigenous species, trade in tigers is unregulated and flying below the radar of the DEA (Department of Environmental Affairs). When asked about it by Ban Animal Trading and the EMS Foundation, the DEA response was that tigers weren’t the department’s responsibility because they’re “exotics”. In reply to a request for information on tiger breeding facilities, Limpopo…

A kangaroo has died after visitors to a zoo threw bricks at her to make her hop. The 12-year-old female kangaroo was living at the Fuzhou Zoo in East China’s Fujian Province until she was killed last month. According to vet Chen Xiaoli she died of internal bleeding caused by a suspected ruptured kidney. The zoo released images of the kangaroo shortly before she died, where a wound could be seen on her foot which was believed to be caused by one of the bricks. Credit: AsiaWire The vet said: “A staff member spotted bricks being thrown into [the enclosure] and went out to seek out the culprits, but no…

A camera lens peeks through a chain link fence at a tourist camp in Thailand, and focuses on something disturbing. Behind a copse of trees, a man screams and beats an elephant hard with a long wooden paddle. The elephant, who’s wearing a seat used to carry tourists, can’t get away — chains hold her in place, giving her no choice but to put up with the abuse. The beating goes on for over an hour, according to the person who recorded it. After filming the incident, the anonymous investigator submitted the footage to Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT). Then WFFT posted the video on Facebook — where many people responded with outrage. Phangnga elephant…

Though we may never know why some people abuse animals (or other people), it’s heartening to know compassionate individuals do still exist. The Dodo shares a story about the folks at Sale Ranch Sanctuary , who saved a young piglet’s life. The pig, named Cherry Blossom, lived in unspeakable conditions before she was finally dumped at an animal shelter in California that primarily cares for cats and dogs. Though she wasn’t expected to survive due to a severe case of sarcoptic mange, Cherry Blossom made a complete recovery. Hit the jump to hear her story. The Dodo reports that Cherry Blossom was abandoned at a shelter near Temecula, California. The staff says the man who dropped her off claimed she…

This is way too cute. In light of recent events, the whole world could use a dose of cuteness. Fortunately, a baby elephant who lives at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand delivers. In a video uploaded by the Save the Elephant Foundation, the adorable pachyderm is very curious about her caretaker’s sandals. She pesters him until he finally takes off the flippers for her to try on. To many people’s delight, the pachyderm tries to wear the sandals on both her trunk and feet. Elephants are known to have strong interpersonal bonds and complex communication skills. Additionally, their empathetic qualities and intelligence are legendary. Even though the elephant is a baby, these…

The whales’ deaths are symbolic of humanity’s shocking disregard for marine life. In January, 29 sperm whales were found stranded on shores around the North Sea, an area that is too shallow for the marine wildlife. Only recently were details of the animals’ necropsy released. However, scientists were deeply disturbed by what they found in the animals’ stomachs. According to a press release from Wadden Sea National Park in Schleswig-Holstein, many of the whales had stomachs FULL of plastic debris, including a 13-meter-long fishing net, a 70 cm piece of plastic from a car and other pieces of plastic litter. Some suggest that the animals thought the items were food, such as squid, which…